Of 74 patients seen within 30 minutes of the onset of acute myocardial infarction 68 (92%) had signs of autonomic imbalance. Excessive vagal activity was evident in 41 (55%) and there was sympathetic overactivity in 27 (36%). The high incidence of sudden death in the acute phase of a coronary attack probably results from the electrical imbalance caused by autonomic disturbance. This disturbance...

Aneurysms of the left atrium or its appendage are uncommon. Some occur with an intact pericardium and others are associated with a pericardial defect. The majority of patients are asymptomatic, but dysrhythmias and systemic embolism may occur. The condition should be suspected after chest radiography but can only be confirmed by angiocardiography. Resection is advised with cardiopulmonary bypas...

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common illness found worldwide, with a reported prevalence ranging from 9% to 24% among the general population [1]. In the USA, approximately 92% of women and 82% of men with moderate-to-severe OSA remain undiagnosed [2]. OSA carries several shortand long-term health consequences. These may range from perioperative complications to the risk of having uncontroll...

Hyperkalaemia is a common electrolyte disorder with potentially lethal consequences and can lead to life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias. Spurious hyperkalaemia, also known as pseudohyperkalaemia or factitious hyperkalaemiais, is also quite common in clinical practice and it's a source of avoidable emergency department visits or hospital admissions. We report a case in which alarming hyperkala...

Dear Editor, Sarcoidosis is a multi-system disease. Cardiac sarcoidosis is a major cause of death in patients with systemic sarcoidosis and should be suspected in young patients with AV block, ventricular dysrhythmias or unexplained heart failure. A high index of suspicion is required as these patients can present initially only with arrhythmias and with no pulmonary involvement. An accurate an...

Venomous catfish stings are a common environment hazard worldwide. Although these stings are often innocuous, significant morbidity may result from stings, including severe pain, retained foreign bodies, infection, respiratory compromise, arterial hypotension, and cardiac dysrhythmias. Treatment included hot water immersion, analgesia, wound exploration, and prophylactic antibiotics. In this ar...

While cardiac involvement is not a common presentation in human echinococcosis, it may lead to life-threatening complications including cyst rupture; anaphylactic shock; tamponade; pulmonary, cerebral or peripheral arterial embolism; acute coronary syndrome; dysrhythmias; infection; ventricular or valvular dysfunction, as well as sudden death. Here we report a 9-year old girl who was diagnosed ...

Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in chronic renal failure patients. We present a case of refractory ventricular fibrillation with successful prolonged resuscitation (> 1 hour) without neurological sequel in an outpatient dialysis centre. Implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator is able to identify patients as dialysis-sensitive. Smoother potassium removal during hemodialysis...

Respiratory dysfunction has been recognized as a cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) (1-3). Respiratory complications, in particular aspiration pneumonia, are the most common causes of death in these patients (1,2). A variety of respiratory problems such as aspiration pneumonia, respiratory dysrhythmias, which may or may not be associated with L-dopa thera...

Care of the patient with MI who receives thrombolytic therapy is an exciting challenge for the emergency nurse. By interrupting the process of cellular ischemia and necrosis, thrombolysis can salvage jeopardized myocardial tissue and lead to better patient outcome. Nursing interventions can help prevent possible complications of thrombolytic therapy, such as bleeding, dysrhythmias, and reocclus...